The Influence of Transparency on Addressing Populism in the EU

Abstract

The emergence of political parties or movements that are anti-elitist, anti-pluralist, and which frame politics predominantly in moral terms – commonly labelled 'populist' – has become a clear trend in Western democracies. The phenomenon is especially apparent in Europe, where the rise of populist parties is directly linked with the general decline of trust in politics and, more broadly, in the public sphere. Among the elements that contribute to contemporary populist narratives, transparency, or lack thereof, is a recurring one. Opacity of bureaucracies and the information vacuum maintained by public administrations, combined with increased levels of public-sector corruption, give rise to speculation, conspiracy theories and fake news, ultimately providing fertile breeding ground for populist politicians. To respond to this threat, national and supranational governments (including the European Union) have placed transparency among the priorities in their regulatory agendas. For instance, the European Ombudsman has made consistent efforts to ensure more transparent decision-making at EU level. Also relevant to the promotion of transparency are the ongoing debates on reforming the legislative procedure of the Union, regulating lobbying activities and digitalising services. While it remains difficult if not impossible to predict whether more transparent policy-making could offer a viable and effective solution to populism, studies suggest that transparency and participation in public governance are having a positive impact on the accountability of EU institutions, and hence on citizens' perceptions of their activities.